There’s something
of a Crystal Records look to this line-up; adventurous music
for the baritone saxophone allied to transcriptions both of
contemporary and baroque material. Unlike in a concert, where
this recital would presumably begin with the Vivaldi arrangement,
Antes has had the courage to pitch straight in with Felix Treiber’s
Duo. Naturally you can programme the Vivaldi and Zelenka first
if you want to – but I doubt you would. They act as cleansing
agents and enjoyable ones too, cannily interjected throughout
the recital.
The Duo was written
for Linda Bangs and Annemi Egri so the first performers give
the piece its disc premiere as well. It’s a compact piece opening
ruminatively except for the sudden, extrovert passage that ends
the first movement. There’s an angular, edgy central movement
that cleverly makes the maximum use of minimal thematic material
and a keening, edged Lento finale. Otmar Mácha’s Sonata, originally
for bassoon, dates from his earliest compositional years – he
didn’t really start writing seriously until he was forty. As
ever he proves adept and vigorous company, There are Czech folkloric
strains in the opening Adagio and the lissom piano-led Allegro
(this is a brief two movement work) has some march hues along
the way – mildly unsettling maybe though the music itself is
exciting and dynamic.
J. Ryan Gerber –
with a name like that he has to be American (he is, he’s a native
Virginian) – opens his Another Twist in dynamic fashion but
crafts a songful lyricism onto it as well. He ends this one
movement, sectional piece, only five minutes long, with freewheeling
drama that ends up in the air, delightfully. The longest piece
is Ernst Prappacher’s Quartet. He was a bassoonist and Director
of Music and wrote his Quartet for Linda Bangs in 2003. It’s
cast in four movements and opens in rather forbidding fashion
before gradually thawing. There are hints of Berg in the writing.
The scherzo is superficially jovial but there are some menacing
hues along the way before the reflective, lyrical Adagio is
ushered in. The finale is the most traditional sounding of the
four movements – exciting speed courses through its veins.
Which leaves the
baroque transcriptions. They both work surprisingly well and
moreover in contrasting ways. The Vivaldi is a straight baritone-for-cello
swap whilst in the Zelenka we have two violins and the continuo,
which is played by the baritone. The notes suggest that this
is a way of showing how the instrument’s utility can be extended
in different contexts. I agree.
There are quite
a few typos in the booklet but otherwise we’re given all we
need to know. Good sound in both recording locations, needless
to say. This is a versatile disc. None of the music is genuinely
outstanding but for admirers of the sinuous, not-so-unwieldy
baritone there is fun to be had.
Jonathan Woolf
Linda Bangs
(baritone saxophone); Annemi Egri (piano); Theo Breidenbach (violin);
Charlotte Breidenbach (viola/violin š) and Alev Akcos (cello) 
